Tornado caught on CCTV
[news.bbc.uk] CCTV footage from inside a US Bank catches the moment a tornado crashes through its windows. The First State Bank, in Parkersburg, Iowa, was empty when the twister hit on 25 May. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7433079.stm
Flight of the Panda
[news.cnet] An Israeli company has conducted the first in a series of test flights on the Panda, a new ducted-fan, unmanned aerial vehicle prototype that looks kind of like a flying stretcher, bringing us closer to what could be the ultimate medivac. The company, Urban Aeronautics, already produces the Mule UAV and the X-Hawk, larger […]
Chess champ Kasparov attacked by flying penis
[belfasttelegraph] Former World Chess Champion and Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov has been attacked by radio-controlled penis during a meeting of opposition activists. Around 700 opponents of the Kremlin were attending Kasparov’s address in Moscow at the weekend. Pro-Kremlin demonstrators decided to interrupt Kasparov’s address, designed to unite opposition political forces, by launching a rotor-assisted plastic […]
U.S. State Department: Country Reports on Terrorism 2007: Europe and Eurasia Overview
[…] Germany Germany participated in counterterrorism military operations overseas, provided leadership in multilateral settings, and fought terrorism within its borders. Although no terrorist attacks took place in Germany, a major terrorist plot was disrupted on September 4. The three individuals arrested in the plot included two ethnic Germans and a Turkish citizen resident in Germany. […]
Repression in Nordic countries
[tord björk] To understand what can be done about repression issues at ESF it could be useful to know something about the situation in the host countries. I am not an expert and my knowledge is superficial but I may have a general picture which may be of use to you. I guess that it […]
Robots to swarm English village in huge Hide and Seek
[Marc Rutherford] A village in England will host a robot Hide ’n Seek next month, where 11 teams drawn from private companies and universities compete to sniff out snipers, roadside bombs and other hidden dangers while relaying real-time images back to a command post. The MoD Grand Challenge, as it is called, is billed as […]
Mig downs drone
[Mark Rutherford] UAVs may have stealing the publicity limelight of late from traditional war birds, but there’s little doubt of who comes out on top in a dogfight as seen in this video of a purported Russian MIG-29 drilling a Georgian drone. Georgia’s air force provided Reuters with video footage it said was recorded and […]
Protests: Proposal to create EU-wide „troublemakers“ database
[statewatch] – to "prevent individuals or groups who are considered to pose a potential threat to the maintenance of public law and order and/or security from travelling to the location of the event" – and to put in place: "The necessary arrangements for a quick and efficient implementation of the potential expulsion measures" – EU […]
Europol to become EU agency in 2010
Police coordination centre in The Hague to join family of EU bodies. [libertysecurity] For Vice-President Jacques Barrot, «This is a veritable transformation, not merely a cosmetic one. Europol will become a full EU body, with the tools to support law enforcement agencies in the Member States even more effectively. As a result, European police forces […]
Actionday on June 6th in Warsaw/Poland: SHUT DOWN FRONTEX!
Transnational Resistance against the "European Border Agency" – Fight the Border Regime – for Global Freedom of Movement! [noborder.org] 11.Apr.08 – Protest and press-conference in front of the headquarters of FRONTEX in Warsaw, against european borderregime and its externalisation to the East and South, in the frame of the transnational chain of migrationrelated actions!
If your social movement has nothing to hide…
[riseup] In the waning days of Babylon and empire, what will the US government think up next? According to numerous leaks from the intelligence bureaucracy to the New York Times, the New Yorker, and the Wall Street Journal, the government’s new fun toy is the ability to monitor our social networks by tracking, in real […]
French Reveal Plans for Taser Flying Saucer
[blog.wired.com] A French businessman tells AFP his company is working on putting TASER stun guns on a flying saucer that would zap protesters, evil-doers, and anybody else that authorities there don’t like. Antoine di Zazzo, identified by AFP as "one of the biggest Taser representatives" outside the United States, said his company is "developing a mini-flying […]
EU Council Framework Decision on Combating Terrorism
EU Council decided 2002 on changes in national anti terrorist laws. Find an overview on their current implemantation in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and UK in the annual "EU TERRORISM SITUATION AND TREND REPORT 2007" given out by Europol.
Human Factors
[iabg] Der Faktor „Mensch“ spielt bei militärischen und polizeilichen Einsätzen, aber auch im Alltag eines jeden Mitbürgers eine zentrale Rolle. Denn menschliches Versagen eines Einzelnen kann katastrophale Folgen für Viele haben. Daher muss nach unserer festen Überzeugung sowohl bei technischen Entwicklungen als auch bei Trainingsmaßnahmen menschliches Verhalten in all seinen Facetten von Beginn an einbezogen […]
Spy-in-the-sky drone sets sights on Miami
[Reuters] MIAMI – Miami police could soon be the first in the United States to use cutting-edge, spy-in-the-sky technology to beef up their fight against crime. A small pilotless drone manufactured by Honeywell International, capable of hovering and "staring" using electro-optic or infrared sensors, is expected to make its debut soon in the skies over […]
Swiss parliament approves use of Tasers in deportations
[turkishpress] Switzerland’s parliament on Tuesday approved the use by police of Taser stun guns when forcibly deporting foreigners from the country, Swiss news agency ATS reported. Police will be allowed to use the electronic stun guns as a last resort, along with handcuffs and dogs.
Mapping of the European Security Agencies
Source: http://www.libertysecurity.org/IMG/pdf_Mapping_30.11.2007.pdf
Boeing: Secure Border Initiative (SBI) and SBInet
[boeing] The Secure Border Initiative (SBI) is a comprehensive plan by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to gain operational control of the U.S. borders through the integration of increased staffing, interior enforcement, detection technology and infrastructure, and coordination on federal, state, local and international levels. A critical component of SBI is SBInet, a […]
No plan to ban ‚anti-teen‘ device
There are no plans in England to ban the use of devices which emit a high-pitched sound to disperse groups of teenagers, the government has said. But it stressed the Mosquito devices, which can cause discomfort to youngsters‘ ears, should be "a last resort" against anti-social behaviour.
Statewatch News Online, 18 February 2008 (03/08)
1. EU: FINGER-PRINTING CHILDREN 2. France: Suspension of Internet access envisaged to tackle Internet piracy 3. EU: Schengen police cooperation handbook 4. CAJ: The War on terrorism: Lessons from Northern Ireland 5. ECtHR vs. POLAND: Unprecedented inquiry about temporary arrests 6. EU: Brussels attacks new US security demands 7. EU: Integrated European Border Management Strategy […]